Baldwinsville teen's spirit inspires his team

Heather Bragman / The Post-StandardAustin Smith, 13, and Brendan Pitts, 16, both of Baldwinsville, warm up before a recent game. Brendan calls Austin, who is autistic, the team's most valuable player. Here's an audio slideshow on Brendan's essay.

Brendan Pitts, a junior at C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, wrote the following essay about his teammate, Austin Smith. It was published Tuesday in The Post-Standard. We also have an audio slide show featuring Brendan reading his essay and photos from the team.

Austin Smith is autistic.

Austin's stepmother, Elizabeth, died this past summer.

Austin is an eighth-grader playing CYO basketball in a league that goes up to 11th grade.

Austin, enduring all of these hardships, is the most valuable player on our basketball team.

He's facing more problems than most of us will face in our lifetime, yet he lives life with a smile on his face every day. The way he seems to enjoy everything he's doing all the time helps the entire team keep a positive attitude. Just seeing him smile and hearing him constantly joking and laughing prevents frustrations from mounting.

He plays basketball with more heart and hustle than anyone I have ever seen. Everyone on our team watches him play, and it drives us to try as hard as we can, as hard as he does. Austin may not be the most talented player on the team, but he's vital to our team's success. He keeps everyone happy and it's his influence that keeps us determined to work as hard possible.

Unfortunately, Austin doesn't get to play every game. However, he never complains and instead relishes the opportunity to cheer everybody on from the sideline. When he does play, he makes the most of the opportunities.

Recently, Austin was allowed to play a few minutes more than usual. At one point during the game, he received the ball near the free throw line. He turned. Shot. And banked it in.

Instantly, everyone -- the fans, the coaches and his teammates -- jumped to their feet, giving Austin a standing ovation fit for someone who had just made a championship-winning shot. It was incredible. Austin jumped for joy, and his ear-to-ear grin made it clear that it was one of the happiest moments of his life.

Austin is proof that hard work and the right attitude can lead to success in anything.